Soggy Seed, Can It Be Saved?

Most of the East Coast is underwater these days. The early days of Spring have brought havoc to many communities. Streams have become rivers and rivers have become lakes. You can imagine what lakes have become!

One of the many situations that this rainfall creates is soggy bird seed. If you use a no-shell bird seed mix or sunflower hearts, you will notice the difference even more. When you take the protective shell off any seed, the meat of the seed becomes a very good sponge. Any moisture in the air will instantly be absorbed by the no-shell meats. Is it possible to save this soggy mess?

To be honest, the answer is “No.” Once moisture is absorbed by the meat of bird seed, it becomes spoiled and no amount of drying out will change that. Even bird seed with shells should not be used for feeding wild birds if it becomes too wet. Plants, during heavy rains, have a tendency to “bend down”, creating an umbrella effect on the seeds inside each plant. That’s natures way of protecting its precious weed seeds.

If you’re trying to attract birds to your backyard, the last thing you want to do is to have birds leave your feeders alone due to soggy, moldy seed. Your best choice is to remove the wet bird seed, clean your bird feeder and refill with dry, fresh bird seed. Take the old, soggy seed and throw it on the ground near the woods. Animals have no problem eating these leftovers without any harm. Wild birds, however, will not take a chance on infection from stale, moldy or rancid bird seed.

So wait for the weather to change for the better. Provide fresh bird seed and enjoy your birds!